Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1887-09-22
ExEecl ID wIrH xEArxEss AND p,sp,rcu

-. @ffA0NAA VI
has acts and so intensely grieved e,
bis failure and his just death and who
inaugusateG the march of his spirit
all these with whom the country
may still be cursed will be promi.
nently there. The honorable states.
men, too, who indorsed the infamous.
malignant and murderous HELPER
Book aud subscribed of their means in
order to have one hundred thousand
copies of said book circulated through
the land with the hope of breeding
strife and murder for the purpose of
aiding a republican campaign will he
there in force. | must, of course, de.
cline to mingle and rejoice in such
crowd.
Moreover. when the l4th amend.
ment was submitted by republican
Congress to all the States. a sufficient
number voted against it to prevent
Its adoption, Maryland whose vote
was nullifed by the subsequent tyran.
ny OF said Congress) being one of
the States that rejected it. The ar.
chlves OF the States and the United
States will show this to be as I state
it.
How then is i: part of the Consti.
tuition? Although rejected in per.
feet accordance with the 5th article
OF the original constitution, must we
Notwithstanding obey it? Never.
Opon what compulsion must We view
1t as part of the Constitution The
act OF the republican Congress "enti.
tied an act TO provide for the more ef.
ficient government of the rebel States"
passed March 2nd, 1867, after the
l4th amendment had been constitu.
tionally rejected, as above stated, at.
tempts and is claimed to give it its in.
famous vitality. 1t is difficult to find
in history, especially in modern his.
tory, a more tiagitious act of tyranny
than is presented to view in this
act. Perjury itself could not have in.
vented grosser violation of the con.
stitution, which the men who passed
it. were sworn to protect.
From this tyrannical scheme for the
adoption ofthis amendment, and which
in the view of every rejecting patriot
must fail to accomplish that purpose,
my belief is, that when | swear to
support the constitution, swear not
to support this l4th amendment.
never have up to this date, and as
long as it stands on the basis it does,
| never will. can never be such a
knave or such a slave. II were
member of the Senate Of the United
States and the Honorable Jefferson
Davis, who is prescribed in that amend
ment, should be elected to that body
by the Legislature Of his State, he
would certainly take his seat. if my
vote would give it to him, in spite Of
the vindictive actions to prescribe one
of the greatest patriots and statesmen
the country has produced, and at this
time the most honored man on the
continent, If not in the world.
Still further that l4th amendment
declares that mo claim for the loss or
emancipation Of any slave shall be
paid" thus deliberately branding on
the brow OF our country the crime Of
robbery of its own citizens, and that,
too, when the loss and emancipation
were the consequence Of the original
design Of the republican party, to ef-
feet which unconstitutional violence
and force were uesd, for in no other way
could they have accomplished their
purpose.
Now, sir, let these three bastard
children Of force be sacrificed to true
patriotism, aud in their place subGti.
tute others constitutionally begotten.
giving equal rights to all the people
of our country, of all colors and pro-
scribing none, or in any way depriving
them Of their just claims upon the
government-a course so well calcula-
ted at this time to bring about har.
mony among the people of the differ
ent sections of the country-and will
obey and vigilantly defend and sup.
port the constitution thus amended.
From what have written above, you
can easily infer that will not de-
grade myself or compromise the honor
or interest Of my State, so far as my
presence would have such effect, by
taking part in this exhibition celsbra.
tion.
Your obedient servant,
/ BENZ. G. HARRIS.
! Mr.. Walter B. Brooks has made bis